Men's Basketball

Bears Travel To Cross-State Rival Bryant

Providence, Rhode Island - Brown and Bryant will tangle on the hardwood for the 11th time on Monday, January 23 at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, Rhode Island, starting at 7:00 p.m. The Bears, who own a 10-0 series record against the Bulldogs, will be playing their final non-league game of the season, and look to get back on the winning track heading into this weekend's Ivy games at home against Dartmouth and #24 Harvard.

The Records: Brown (5-13, 0-2 Ivy) is coming off a 73-60 loss to Yale on Saturday, despite getting a career high 23 points from junior guard Stephen Albrecht. Bryant (2-17) dropped a 78-71 overtime decision to Central Connecticut, with sophomore guard Alex Francis netting a season high 30 points.

Close Proximity: While the Bears will be traveling to Smithfield, RI (13 miles) to face Bryant, it's far from the Bears' closest road trip of the season. Brown traveled to downtown Providence on December 5th to face Providence College at the Dunkin Donuts Center, just 1.3 miles from Brown's Pizzitola Sports Center.

The Brown – Bryant Series Record – 11th Meeting: Brown and Bryant have met 10 times, dating back to 1985-86, with the Bears holding an 10-0 series advantage over the Bulldogs. Brown cruised to an 84-71 win over Bryant last season at the Pizzitola Sports Center on 12/31/10. The last time Brown came to the Chace Athletic Center, the Bears earned a 70-68 win.

Bear Facts: Junior guard Stephen Albrecht has been Brown's most consistent performer in recent games, and is the Bears' top scorer in Ivy games with 17.5 points per game. He tied his career scoring high with 23 points vs. Yale on Saturday…Junior forward Andrew McCarthy ranks fourth in the Ivy League with 7.6 rebounds per game, and fourth in field goal percentage (.517). He scored 16 points and grabbed 19 boards against Longwood, the most rebounds for a Brown player since Matt Mullery '10 pulled down 20 rebounds against Harvard on March 6, 2009…Sophomore Sean McGonagill registered the second 30-plus point scoring game of his career with 30 points vs. Longwood. McGonagill ranks sixth in the Ivy League in scoring (14.8 ppg) and third in assists (5.4 per game)… The 61 points scored by the Bears in the second half vs. Central Connecticut (90-80, W) are the most points scored in a half since the Bears netted 60 points in the second half of a 95-83 win over Navy on January 5, 2002…The Bears are scheduled to play 31 games in 2011-2012, tying the school record for games played.

McGonagill Top Brown Scorer: Sophomore SeanMcGonagill (Brookfield, IL), the 2011 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, leads the Bears and ranks sixth in the Ivy league in scoring with 14.8 points per game. He also ranks third in the Ivy League in assists with 5.4 per game. McGonagill was the offensive star for Brown in its first meeting with Yale, scoring 23 points on 4 of 6 shooting from behind the three-point arc. He scored 30-plus points for the second time in his career, netting 30 points vs. Longwood by connecting on six treys (6 of 10), 10th best in the Brown record book. The high scoring McGonagill netted 25 of his team high 27 points in the second half against Central Connecticut, while handing out a career high 11 assists and grabbing seven rebounds. McGonagill, who had a game high 19 points vs. St. Francis. He scored 19 points against URI and St. Francis (NY), and tossed in 18 points and handed out eight assists in the Bears win over Monmouth. McGonagill netted 16 points and pulled down six rebounds in Brown's victory over Hartford, and registered a double-double in Brown's season opener vs. Johnson & Wales, scoring 20 points and handing out 10 assists. He came back vs. Albany with 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds. He was Brown's top Ivy League scorer in 2011, averaging 14.6 points per game, fourth best in the Ivy League. The fourth Brown player to earn Ivy Rookie of the Year honors, McGonagill set a Brown freshman record with 147 assists, third best in the Brown record book. The game that set McGonagill apart from the rest of the league was his 39-point performance in a win over Columbia, where he tied the Pizzitola Sports Center and Brown freshman scoring record with 39 points against the Lions. His phenomenal performance against the Lions took place less than 48-hours after a facial injury in practice that required 20 stitches from a plastic surgeon, major dental work and necessitated a protective mask to be worn. His 39 points rank 6th all-time at Brown, and are the most points scored by an Ivy League player in eight years (2003). McGonagill also connected on 15 of 19 field goals against Columbia, shattering the Pizzitola record for field goals in a game, seventh best in the Brown record book.

Ponticelli Steps Up: Junior forward Tyler Ponticelli (Northbrook, IL), who had six points and four assists vs. Longwood, has turned into a fixture in the Bears' starting lineup, starting 15 of Brown's 18 games. He scored 12 points vs. Maine, connecting on 5 of 8 field goals. A strong passer, his 47 assists rank second best on the Brown team, while his 3.1 rebounds per game rank fourth. He had six points, three rebounds and three assists against Iowa. Ponticelli scored just four points vs. Monmouth, but he distributed a career high seven assists and grabbed five rebounds. He scored 10 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and handed out six assists against Manhattan in the NIT Season Tip-Off. Ponticelli stepped up his game in the Bears' season opener against Johnson & Wales with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, all career highs.

Albrecht Scoring In Double Figures: Junior StevenAlbrecht (Crown Point, IN) is Brown's second leading scorer (11.0 ppg) and leads the Brown team with 41 treys (41 of 110). He also leads the Bears with 17.5 ppg in Ivy games. Albrecht netted 23 points in Brown's second game vs. Yale, tying his career scoring high. He netted 12 points in the first meeting with Yale, all on treys, connecting on 4 of 7 three-point attempts. He had a 15-point, five assist, performance against Longwood. Albrecht scored all of his 13 points in the second half against American, and turned in a 17-point performance against Central Connecticut, connecting on 4 of 6 treys, while grabbing a career high seven rebounds. He netted a career best 23 points vs. Sacred Heart, while connecting on six treys, 10th best in Brown basketball history. He had a break-out game in a starting role vs. Monmouth, scoring a then career high 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the field, including 4 of 8 shooting from behind the three-point arc. Albrecht had a big game in Brown's win over Rhode Island with 17 points, connecting on 5 of 10 treys. He earned his first start vs. Hartford, scoring eight points and grabbing five rebounds. A transfer from Toledo, Albrecht started 11 of 12 games the Rockets, averaging 11.2 points and 2.6 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. While with the Rockets, Albrecht scored 20 points against Michigan State and Cornell, and 19 points vs. Cincinnati, and netted 15 or more points five times.

McCarthy Strong Inside: Junior forward Andrew McCarthy (Sudbury, MA) has turned into one of the top big men in the Ivy League, averaging 7.6 rebounds per game, fourth best in the Ivy League, while scoring 10.0 points per game. McCarthy is an outstanding shot blocker, swatting-away 83 career shots, fifth best in Brown basketball history. McCarthy scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in Brown's first game against Yale. He came up with a strong performance against Longwood with 16 points and a career high 19 rebounds, the second highest number of rebounds in the Ivy League this season. His 19 rebounds were the most for a Brown player since Matt Mullery '10 grabbed 20 rebounds against Harvard on 3/6/09. He recently scored 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds vs. American. McCarthy tossed in 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds vs. Maine, and netted 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Brown's win over Central Connecticut. McCarthy had a 14-point, 12-rebound performance vs. New Hampshire. He was the top big man on the floor against Iowa, scoring a game high 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds, and came back with 12 points and seven rebounds vs. Providence. McCarthy came through in a big way vs. Rhode Island, registering a double-double with 12 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the field, and 13 rebounds against the Rams. He made the difference in Brown's win over Hartford with 13 points and a career high 14 rebounds against the Hawks. He averaged 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds a game last season, but saved the best for last, exploding for a career high 21 points against Columbia, while pulling down 10 rebounds in Brown's final game of the season.

Brown Career Blocked Shots

1. 163, Matt Mullery (2006-2010)

2. 119, Alai Nuualiitia (1999-2003)

3. 93, Stark Langs (1981-1985)

4. 89, Jamie Kilburn (2000-2004)

5. 83, Andrew McCarthy (2009- present)

6. 77, Anthony Katsaros (1984-1988)

Halpern Out For Season: Junior All-Ivy forward Tucker Halpern (Brookline, MA) will be out for the entire season due to illness. Halpern did not play in any games for the Bears in 2011-2012, and missed most of the pre-season. Halpern averaged 12.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Bears a year ago. Halpern ranked sixth in the Ivy League in scoring with 14.3 ppg in league games.

Bears In The Ivy League Stats (Top 5):

Scoring 5th Sean McGonagill (14.8 ppg)

Rebounding 4th Andrew McCarthy (7.6 rpg)

Field Goal Percentage 4th Andrew McCarthy (.517)

Assists 3rd Sean McGonagill (5.4 apg)

Blocked Shots 5th Andrew McCarthy (1.1 per game)

Defensive Rebounds 3rd Andrew McCarthy (5.6 per game)

Minutes Played 2nd Sean McGonagill (34.7 per game)

Head Coach Jesse Agel: Bears' head Coach Jesse Agel begins his fourth season at the helm of the basketball program with a goal of building the Brown basketball program into an annual contender for the Ivy League Championship. Before taking over the reins of the program, the 48-year-old Agel (pronounced A-gull) was an assistant at Brown for two years, helping the Bears register a school-record 19 victories in 2007-2008, while gaining a berth in the post-season College Basketball Invitational. During his 17-year stint at Vermont, Agel was the architect of the Catamount's recent success on the basketball court. A 1984 graduate of Vermont, Agel was the associate head coach at Vermont for eight years under head coach Tom Brennan.

Brown's 1986 Ivy Champs To Be Honored: Brown's 1986 Ivy League Championship and NCAA Tournament team will be honored at halftime of the Bears' Saturday, February 4th game against Penn. A pre-game reception for parents alumni and will be held at 4:30 p.m., with tip-off at 6:00 p.m.

Matt Sullivan Steps Up vs. Yale: Junior co-captain MattSullivan (Wilmette, IL), Brown's fourth leading scorer with 8.4 points per game, stepped up his play in the Ivy opener against Yale with 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting from the field, including 3 of 7 from behind the three-point arc. He's been coming on strong of late and tossed in a team high 15 points and grabbed 5 rebounds against Maine. Sullivan registered 19 of his career high 26 points in the second half vs. Albany in the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Carrier Dome, connecting on 8 of 18 field goals, including 5 of 9 from behind the three-point arc. He scored 10 points vs. Providence, connecting on two treys. He had 13 points and five rebounds in Brown's win over Monmouth, and netted 10 points vs. Sacred Heart. Sullivan chipped in with 10 points and 5 rebounds against Manhattan in the second game of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Sullivan is a hard-nosed player and team leader, who saw action in 27 of Brown's 28 games in 2010-2011, and has started 35 games in his first two years. Sullivan scored in double figures five times last year, netting a career high 22 points at Princeton on 7 of 11 shooting from the field.

High Scoring Hoops Staff: Brown's men's basketball coaching staff ranks fourth among all Division I staffs in scoring with 3,915 career points. Tennessee has the nation's highest scoring coaching staff with 5,381 career points, followed by Auburn (4,373), Valparaiso (4,373), Brown, Kansas (3,805) and Duke (3,804).

What's Up Doc? Sophomore forward Dockery Walker (Dover, DE) has started eight games for the Bears, including the last three. Playing with remnants of the flu, Walker scored six points and pulled down four rebounds against Yale. He contributed with six points and three rebounds vs. Maine, and pulled down seven rebounds against St. Francis. He came up with a strong performance against Manhattan in the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Syracuse Carrier Dome, registering a double-double against the Jaspers, with 12 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the field, while grabbing 10 rebounds. Walker came up with a career best three steals vs. Rhode Island, while scoring six points and pulling down four rebounds. He opened the season with six points and four rebounds vs. Johnson & Wales. Last year, Walker had three double-doubles. He scored 10 points and pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds against American. He also had double-doubles against Lyndon State (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Columbia (13 points, 12 rebounds), where he connected on all six of his field goal attempts.

Maia Ineligible: The NCAA has denied eligibility to Bears' freshman forward Rafael Maia (Santa Cruz, Brazil) based on a new NCAA rule that affects him as a graduate of a high school in the Southern Hemisphere. Maia, a Business Economics concentrator at Brown, graduated from high school in December 2009 and enrolled at Maine Central Institute in September 2010. The new rule says that a student –athlete must enroll in a member institution within one year of graduation from high school. A popular pick by several preseason magazines as the Ivy Rookie of the Year, Maia will lose his first year of eligibility.

Harris Provides Offense/Defense: The only senior on the Brown squad, Jean Harris (Los Angeles, CA), who had eight points in Saturday's game against Yale, ranks third on the Brown team with 28 treys (28 of 66, .424). He scored eight points vs. Longwood, and tossed in 14 points vs. American by connecting on 4 of 7 treys and 5 of 9 field goals overall. Harris netted a season high 17 points against Central Connecticut, connecting on 6 of 8 field goals, including 4 of 5 from behind the three-point arc. Harris, who has started three games, earned a start in Brown's opener vs. Johnson & Wales and responded with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He netted six points vs. Iowa on 2 of 3 shooting from behind the three-point arc. A strong defensive player, he scored eight points vs. Albany in the NIT Season Tip-Off. He netted nine points and played solid defense against George Mason. In Brown's 2009 season opening game, Harris scored 18 points against St. Francis (NY) on 7 of 7 shooting from the field.

Bear Facts II: Freshman forward Longi Yiljep (Samaru-Zaria, Nigeria) scored a career high eight points in 20 minutes of play against New Hampshire, and blocked a career best three shots vs. Maine…Freshman Christian Gore has decided to leave the Brown team (12/11/11)…Head coach Jesse Agel added junior guard Patrick Donnelly (Longmeadow, MA) and junior forward Tellef Lundevall (Highland Park, IL) to the Brown roster on 12/1/11. Lundevall, the second leading wide receiver on the Brown football team with 43 receptions, earned his first career start against American. He scored three points and grabbed five rebounds, both career highs, vs. Maine. He came back with five points vs. St. Francis (NY). Donnelly, who had two points and two rebounds vs. American, is the projected starting quarterback for the Brown football team…Freshman guard Joe Sharkey (Norwood, MA) will miss the entire season after having surgery.

Watch Live Video of The Bears On The Internet: Brown basketball fans can watch a live video and audio feed (WPRV - AM 790) of all home games through the America One Network. All 15 home basketball games will be aired through Brown's athletic website http://brownbears.com. Fans wanting to watch Brown events via America One will need a high-speed Internet connection and a current version of Windows Media Player. Games will be sold on an individual basis at $8 per game or $75 for the season. A 30-day pass for $30 allows the viewer to watch all Brown events during a 30-day period.

Bears On The Air: Brown's entire 31-game schedule is being broadcast on WPRV-AM 790 with Scott Cordischi, the voice of Brown basketball and football, calling all the action. Former Brown basketball star Russ Tyler '71 (1,133 career points) provides the color analysis. Brown fans can also listen to the broadcast on brownbears.com.

Brown Basketball Interactive Magazine: Brown Athletics has launched a bold initiative to present its athletic teams in a modern, interactive mode with the release of the Men's Basketball Interactive Magazine, which is available for view on Brownbears.com. The Brown basketball interactive magazine can be viewed by going to the men's basketball team page on brownbears.com, and clicking on the Interactive Magazine link under Team Information. Here's link to the basketball magazine: http://www.pursuantmedia.com/brownathletics/basketball/men/1111/

Jesse Agel Show: The Jesse Agel Coach's Radio Show will be broadcast on Wednesday's throughout the season. Agel will team with Scott Cordischi, the voice of Brown basketball. All the shows will air at 6:00 pm, with the first five shows live from Hope Street Pizza. Jesse's next show will be on January 25th. All 10 Jesse Agel Show's will be aired live on WPRV- AM 790, or can be accessed on Brownbears.com.

Next Game: The Bears have another big home Ivy weekend coming up, hosting Dartmouth on Friday, January 27, at 7:00 p.m., and #24 Harvard on Saturday, January 28, starting at 6:00 p.m.